Trees Used to Create Recyclable, Efficient Solar Cell

A team of researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University, both in the United States, is using cellulose nanocrystal substrates, which are derived from plants such as trees, to fabricate solar cells. Such cells can be quickly recycled in water at the end of their lifecycle. These organic solar cells can reach a power conversion efficiency of 2.7 percent, which is unprecedented for cells on substrates derived from renewable raw materials.The technology is published in the open-access journal Scientific Reports